Looking at getting a bait boat and I like the look of the Carp-Lounge RT4 has anyone got any honest opinions on this or would recommend something else?

Thanks in advance

In reply to Post #1
If you want the option of all the bells and whistles and are prepared to pay for it the RT4 is a no brainer imo, if however you are budget conscious I'd say there are cheaper options like the Waverunner which will do the job equally well in many respects.

I've had 2 RT4s, the all singing and dancing Chrip/Autopilot Set, and now I have a basic set, even the basic is expensive imo, but I'm happy with that. I have a Chirp attached to the rear, this means I can also use the DC on my rod where boats aren't allowed and on a dingy should I want to. The new feature finder Carplounge have just released looks very good I have to say. I know they do bait boat towable options for commercial use, might be a option I might look into, if I can justify it.

I've previously had a standard AT boat, a standard Microcat and the HD Microcat, I wouldn't take any of them over my RT4, that doesn't mean to say they won't do the job adequately.

In reply to Post #1
The Toslon is one of the best out there... Know a few lads who got rid of their RT4's to get one as they had reliability issues and rate it higher than the RT4... I have a technicat and really like it, no problems at all with 5 years use...

In reply to Post #3
Thanks for the advice mate, have you used the technicat on any large lakes at distance?

In reply to Post #4
Yeah, copes with big winds, and goes as far as you can see 😉... No problem at all at 300 yards... Never took it further than that....
Only downside is the AT technology wrt sounders etc is way behind what you can get in a RT4 or TOSLON... And the batteries aren't li-on,
There are people about who can modify them.. But breaking into any AT boat is no easy task...
The AT graphic is ok though for a 2D display if your just interested in depth... And the range is good, fog and mist and drizzle can effect this but that's a norm for a lot of them...

In reply to Post #5
Thanks for this information and advice much appreciated 👍🏼

There's a good group on Facebook called Bait Boat Tips, accessories and sales you might wish to look at if you haven't already, the folks there tend to be balanced in their views (no implication those on here are not) but the RT4 group can be very biased. There are a lot more boats out there than you would imagine, see above group.

Just some points, there are a lot of folks who have also gone from Tolson to RT4.
AT customer service isn't the best in summer months, sometimes 3 month waits by which time summer is over.
AT batteries, yes there not Li-on but that's not neccessarily a bad thing as the standard batteries are readily available from quite a lot of places in most countries. I had batteries go faulty (heat) in France, managed to source some locally.
AT Warranty is 12 months, Tolson 24 months (extensions available £) and CL 3 years (shipping a boat for repairs is not cheap and is included with the RT4 (not sure about the others)).

Does no one recommend anatec boats anymore
All sorts of goodies you Can add to them and you can also take it apart and diagnose any problems yourself so saves you sending it anywhere for repair

In reply to Post #8
Yep, good shout, time served too unlike a lot of the new arrivals

In reply to Post #9
Iv just got an actor for my first bait boat. Honestly can't see how they can do them for the price. So impressed with it.
Would highly recommend it to anyone

I know it's only a budget one but it does the job well.